Must-Watch Day On The Track: Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, & Rai Benjamin Go For Gold (Olympics Day 16 Preview)
Team USA had another awesome day thanks to great Gold Medals on the track, in track cycling, and once again on the wrestling mat…
UPDATED AS OF 12:00 AM EST ON AUGUST 8th
Yesterday I dropped in a clip of a Team USA comeback in the Men's 1500m. How about one in the 400m?
How in… how in the damn world? The man looked dead in the water entering the last turn. He faded back and was behind three other sprinters. Then, out of nowhere, Quincy Hall turned on the NOS like he's fucking Dom Toretto. It's just another win in what is stacking up to be an all-time Olympic Games for Team USA in Athletics (Track & Field). While I was wrong about the FloJo World Records being broken in the Women's 100m & 200m, I did say the team was due to have a big Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but I might've even undersold it. This team is on a roll and Thursday is the day where things can really get brought to new heights…
NOAH LYLES TRIES TO COMPLETE DOUBLE
The journey to complete the Double, winning both the Men's 100m & 200m, is about to arrive at its final stop for Noah Lyles. Only nine men in history have ever achieved, with the last being Usain Bolt in 2016, and 2012… oh, and 2008. Before Usain Bolt, nobody had done it since Carl Lewis at Los Angeles 1984. Then Usain Bolt went and did it at three straight Olympics. That's absurd to just obnoxious. Anyway, this isn't about Bolt…
You'll notice that Noah Lyles didn't finish first in his semi-final. Don't worry about that or put any stock into it. Lyles, just like he did in the 100m, is known for not finishing at the top in the preliminaries, and then finding a way to win when it matters. It's also good to note that one of the favorites to upset Lyles in the 200m Final is the one who beat him, so it isn't like he lost to some nobody, and, obviously, he backed off at the end knowing he was through.
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Here is how the field breaks down tomorrow in terms of the four men who can realistically win…
Noah Lyles: The clear favorite, and it isn't exactly "close" in my eyes. Could Lyles get upset in the 200m Final? Sure, of course, but a lot would have to go wrong for him. Lyles would really need to find a way to beat himself if he were to not sit atop the podium. The 200m is his best event, and I think running this race with a Gold Medal already around his neck is going to lift quite a bit of pressure off his shoulders, even if the history of the Double looms large.
Letsile Tebogo: I am not alone in this thinking, but Tebogo is now the most likely person to upset Lyles in my eyes. While winning a semi-final doesn't mean much, I do think it could give Tebogo the visual of beating him in the Final. Will that help all that much? Unlikely, but it could be something to factor in if you believe Lyles will get upset on Thursday. Keep in mind Oblique Seville made Lyles look like toast in the 100m Semi-Finals, and then proceeded to come in last place in the Final.
Kung-Fu Kenny Bednarek: While Tebogo might, by a hair, have the best shot to eclipse Lyles, the rivalry between the top two Americans in this race is the thing to watch. This is happened in the 200m Final at the U.S. Track & Field Trials in Oregon…
After the race, Kung-Fu Kenny said, "I’m on his case right there… And I showed the world I’ve got a lot more in me and I’ve got more in the tank.” It's hard to be cocky when you're next to Lyles, but Kung-Fu Kenny has the confidence that might be needed in order to dethrone him. He believes he can do it, and the race of his lifetime might result in a Gold Medal. What's even more important to remember is the fact he beat Lyles in this same race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Silver to Lyle's Bronze might been what fueled the rise to 100m Gold, but there is history to suggest an upset can happen.
With that said, Lyles does not believe it will happen… at all…
I get it if you don't like Lyles, but my word is he an electric figure. For years I wanted to have an American sprinter who was as much of a showman as Usain Bolt, and we finally got it with Lyles. Now, he looks to win the Double like Bolt, and join the likes of Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens as Americans to achieve the feat.
BACK-TO-BACK & WORLD RECORD FOR SYDNEY?
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I have said for weeks, and you'll know this if you read my blogs, that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the most dominant athlete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The fact her best is better than her competitors best without hurdles is baffling to me. How the fuck is she so much better than everyone else (well, except for one person, but more on that in a second)? I'm not sure, but boy is it fun to watch.
With the win, McLaughlin-Levrone would become the first person to win two Gold Medals in the history of the Women's 400m Hurdles, which, obviously, also means she'd be the first to win it in back-to-back Olympic Games.
The two questions you should have are…
1) Will she break the World Record? YES. I would be shocked if she didn't break it. She broke the World Record at the U.S. Track & Field Trials this summer. Who held the previous record? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. And before that? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. How about before that? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. And before th-- yeah, it's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
2) Can anyone beat her? YES. I bet you didn't expect that answer. But, if you did, it's because you know about Femke Bol. While McLaughlin-Levrone owns nine of the Top 20 fastest times ever, seven of them are owned by Femke Bol.
Yes, there was no hurdles in that race, and yes, she was going up against the B-Team for the United States (we don't run our best in the Mixed Relay), but that just shows you right there what Bol has in the tank. She's as much of a beast as McLaughlin-Levrone… but the American has the edge.
And I expect her to be Golden again.
110m HURDLES: REVENGE OF HOLLOWAY
The United States has won Gold in the Men's 110m Hurdles just twice in the last 30 years, with the last one coming at London 2012 after Aries Merritt took the title (he'd also set the World Record later that year). It could've been a third time at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but Grant Holloway came up just short…
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The upset at the hands of Jamaica's Hansle Parchment likely haunts Holloway to this day, and he has a chance to finally get his revenge on Thursday in Paris. He's been a dominant figure in this sport for a while, but that Gold Medal has alluded him. He goes in as the heavy, heavy favorite on Thursday with fellow American Daniel Roberts considered the next closest behind Holloway to grab Gold. Others such as Rasheed Broadbell & Orlando Bennett of Jamaica also have a shot, and I think Freddie Crittenden of the United States is being heavily overlooked. As for direct revenge? The Jamaican Hansle Parchment who beat Holloway at Tokyo 2020 is also in the race, but he is considered a very heavy underdog.
Based on how he ran in the Semi-Finals, I wouldn't be shocked if Grant Holloway zipped past the 12.80 World Record, and for sure the Olympic Record of 12.91 set by the legendary Liu Xiang of China at Athens 2004.
TIME TO BEAT SERBIA AGAIN… AGAIN
I am about to launch my first actual complaint about the Team USA Men's Basketball team: I am fucking sick of seeing them play Serbia. They beat their brakes off in the exhibition showcase, then crushed them again to kick off group play in France, and now… they gotta play this team again.
Now, beating a team three times isn't very easy. I expect a big swing from Serbia, and Jokic is a good enough player for them to stick around. When he was on the court in their last game against the USA, it was a wash…
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But there are a few issues at play here as to why I just don't see an upset happening.
1) SERBIA JUST USED A TON OF GAS TO BEAT AUSTRALIA: The comeback vs. the Aussies was amazing by Jokic & Serbia. I'm not saying this is the second night of a back-to-back, but the United States has the luxury of bot depth and rest. Their win over Brazil didn't take a ton of energy, and Sebia might be a bit cooked after that crazy comeback. With how deep the United States can play, simply wearing our Serbia, much like they did in their last two meetings, should be a factor again.
2) JOEL EMBIID IS PLAYING BETTER: There is something about the boo's in France that seems to be fueling Joel Embiid. He easily looked his best over the last month or so in this previous game against Brazil. The United States has three bigs in large part due to Jokic, and if Embiid can have another good game, I am not sure Serbia has a remote chance. You can also see how much his teammates love getting behind him when he shuts up the boo's in France. It reminds me of how much the first-year Big 3 Miami Heat fed off the negative crowds.
3) SERBIA HAS NOT FACED THIS TEAM USA SQUAD: What I mean by this is the fact that Team USA looks better and, more importantly, more cohesive every single game. The first iteration they faced was essentially brand new, then they saw the team with Kevin Durant, and now they're facing an American squad that seems to be really clicking in terms of chemistry.
4) WE ARE ABOUT GET THE STEPH CURRY GAME: I thought we might get it against Brazil, but Steph Curry is due to just torch a team. With guard play being a massive advantage over Serbia, I think the chef really cooks on Thursday.
Team USA was on fire from deep in their first game, his 56% of the threes, a total of 18, while Serbia was bricking shots from deep left and right. Yes, I could see Serbia having a hot game from deep and things being different, but Team USA's defense was pretty lackluster in that first game, and they've ramped things up since. So even if Serbia feels it a little more from downtown, I expect Team USA to make up for it on the defensive side of things.
This team isn't going to lose in Paris, and they are two wins away from their coronation. I can't wait, but will also be sad to not see this team for another four years, and the not see the likes of LeBron or Durant don the red, white, & blue ever again.
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- Water Polo: The United States is looking for its fourth straight Gold Medal at the Olympics, and their Semi-Finals matchup comes against Australia. Yesterday the men beat Australia in a thrilling penalty shootout win, and now the women will look for a chance to advance and possibly keep their dynasty alive. The game will start at 1:35|12:35c on Thursday.
- Volleyball: The women's volleyball team delivered Team USA its first ever Gold Medal at Tokyo 2020, and now they have a real shot at defending that title. An early 10:00|9:00c match against Brazil, who the Americans beat in the Gold Medal match three years ago, is on the docket. As for the men, they lost a total heart-breaker on Wednesday afternoon to Poland in a five set thriller.
- Notable Events: Golf has its second round, where the American women are going to need a charge to get back in the thick of things, the men's freestyle wrestling team for the USA gets action going in a sport where they've already secured two Gold Medals thanks to the women, the Women's Heptathlon begins with American Anna Hall holding a real shot at Gold, and then Gold Medal opportunities will pop up in Sport Climbing, Women's Long Jump, and Taekwondo.
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That's all for now. Go Team USA. See you tomorrow.